ArticleBMC global and public health2024
The impact of COVID-19 on health service utilization in sub-Saharan Africa-a scoping review.
Article in BMC global and public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Incidence of Cancers Among Children Living With HIV in Malawi After Widespread Availability of Antiretroviral Therapy: A Population-Based Study.JCO global oncology · 2026Article
- Understanding decision-making around human and livestock health in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review.Dialogues in health · 2025Review
- The relationship between rural residence and cervical cancer screening in three sub-Saharan countries with different national screening policies.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Impact of household food insecurity on the use of maternal health services in the Savanes region, Togo: a qualitative study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Suspected and confirmed mpox cases in DR Congo: a retrospective analysis of national epidemiological and laboratory surveillance data, 2010-23.Lancet (London, England) · 2025Article
- Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare personnel in a secondary-level health facility in Ghana.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- The trend analysis of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among women of childbearing aged 15 to 49 years from 1990 to 2021 and its forecasting from 2022 to 2030.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Assessing the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Community Health Services: A Pre-post Analysis.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundDespite comparatively low rates of COVID-19 admissions and recorded deaths in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the pandemic still had significant impact on health service utilization (HSU). The aim of this scoping review is to synthesize the available evidence of HSU in SSA during the pandemic, focusing on types of studies, changes in HSU compared with the pre-pandemic period, and changes among specific patient groups.
methodsThe scoping review was guided by the methodological framework for conducting scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O'Malley. We identified relevant studies through a search of PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. We then provided a general descriptive overview of the extracted data focusing on the types of studies, patient groups, and change in HSU.
resultsWe identified 262 studies reporting on HSU in 39 SSA countries. Studies were mainly quantitative (192; 73.3%), involving multiple centers (163; 62.2%), conducted in hospitals (205; 78.2%), and in urban settings (121; 46.2%). The median number of participants was 836.5 (IQR: 101.5-5897) involving 62.5% females. Most studies (92; 35.1%) focused on communicable diseases and mainly among outpatients (90; 34.2%). Maternal and child health studies formed the largest patient group (58; 22.1%) followed by people living with HIV (32; 12.2%). Change in HSU was reported in 249 (95.0%) studies with 221 (84.4%) studies reporting a decrease in HSU. The median decrease in HSU was 35.6% (IQR: 19.0-55.8) and median increase was 16.2% (IQR: 9.1-31.9). The patient group with the largest percentage decrease was cardiovascular diseases (68.0%; IQR: 16.7-71.1) and the lowest percentage decrease was in patients with infections (27.0%; IQR: 16.6-45.6).
conclusionsA large body of literature is available on the effects of the pandemic on HSU in SSA. Most studies report decreases in HSU during the pandemic. However, patterns differ widely across disease categories, patient groups, and during different time periods of the pandemic.
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